Bluing tip

[4V50 Gary]

A student who was bluing some parts just lost a screw and took up a lot of time to find it. If you're going to do hot salt bluing, buy yourself a teaball. I bought mine decades ago from a small hardware store in San Francisco's Chinatown. It has never seen tea but has been used countless times to blue small parts. This one is from Blood Bath & Beyond:

 

[T. O'Heir]

You can find those in Dollar Stores. Looks like you have bugs as pets. snicker.

 

[Scorch]

Yes, we also used to make little "envelopes" out of hardware cloth for the same purpose. Either works well. Just make sure the teaball is made of stainless steel and not aluminum.

 

[arquebus357]

Brownells sells a stainless mesh clam shell type holder of small parts for bluing. I use mine for Mark Lee Express bluing system.

 

[4V50 Gary]

I'm gonna check out one of those $ stores.

 

[xandi]

What’s a “blood bath & beyond?”

 

[Ricklin]

Tea ball

There is an available tea ball that is basically a round ball of stainless steel screen with spring loaded handles. It is split in the middle and opens when you squeeze the handles.
Works really really well and costs less than 5 bucks.

 

[T. O'Heir]

"...Brownell's sells..." Buy stuff like that in a dollar store. Cost you far less than anything Brownell's sells.

 

[4V50 Gary]

Blood Bath & Beyond = Bed, Bath & Beyond. Sorry, I thought everyone knew that.

BTW, wandering through a second hand store and I saw the aluminium versions Scorch warned about. Never seen one before today.